This story takes place in an AU. As of right now, it's going to be more of a collection of short stories (I guess a bunch of one shots?) rather than one major plot. Most of them will just be one chapters worth, but I also plan to have some connect. Although it will be further explored later on, the basis of this world are as follows: Mobians (anthropomorphic animals) and humans reside on mobius, splitting the population about 50/50. Amy is living in an apartment with her newer roommate Silver. Residing in the same building, she meets Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Cream, Blaze, Rouge, Sticks, Vector, Espio and Charmy. There are a lot of things to learn about the colorful people living in the complex.
Please enjoy my first chapter and feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think.
Roommates.
"You're Silver?"
The boy holding the door open heaved a long sigh, "Not this again." He had only heard two words from the pink hedgehog and could already feel defeat coming his way. "Yes, I'm Silver," he began to list in a robotic manner, as if he spoke these exact words a hundred times, "and yes, I'm a boy."
The girl, Amy, adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She missed the bus and had to walk almost a dozen blocks to check out her potential roommate. By the time she entered the building, her purse weighed down on her like a ton of bricks.
"I was really expecting you to be a girl," she admitted, covering up her shocked tone.
Silver crossed his arms over his chest, "Well you would be wrong. You assumed, and you know what happens when you assume."
Amy looked him over. He definitely did not look like a girl. He had long quills that stretched far behind and above him- very common for male hedgehogs. He was dressed lazily in just a pair of sweatpants. It was socially acceptable for a variety of species to either be dressed or go sans clothing. Not many chose to only be half dressed, but even then it wasn't weird.
His most distinguishable feature, other than his spiked bangs, was the way his golden eyes contrasted his silver fur. Amy guessed his parents didn't know what to name him until they saw him.
"You wrote in your bio that you like to be in touch with your 'inner moon goddess,'" she retorted, skeptically eyeing him.
"I'm spiritual, so what?"
"Half of the rooms in your sample pictures were very pink and feminine looking."
"That's sexist; men can like pink too. Besides, that was my ex roommate," he deadpanned. "She's kind of the devil so I changed it all when she moved out." Silver then looked Amy head to toe. "If you're interested, though, then maybe I should've left it that way."
Amy narrowed her eyes. They had seemed like a good match over email, but this first encounter was giving her doubts. "Just because I'm pink doesn't mean everything I own has to be pink."
"Is pink your favorite color?" he asked with a childish grin.
Amy rolled her eyes, choosing not to answer beyond a glare.
"Well?" Silver further pressed, not letting her off the hook.
"Yes it is, but that doesn't mean I want to stare at it all day long," Amy snapped. "Maybe this won't work," she admitted, knowing that they didn't get off to a good start.
"Wait!" Silver caught her arm as she turned to leave. "Look, I know I'm not what you expected, but I still think you should at least check out the space. Believe it or not, you have been the nicest person to come by so far." He shivered at the memory of the many people who have stopped by already. One of them was an older woman with a knife collection who refused to leave after the house tour.
Amy ignored the back handed compliment. She peered over Silver's shoulder into the room. It definitely looked different from the pictures online, in a good way. She could tell that the paint was fresh as the smell drifted into the hallway. She briefly wondered if any of his brain cells have been killed.
"Fine," she agreed, not too reluctantly.
Silver let go of her arm and stepped back, holding the door open for her.
Amy slowly wandered into the room, turning her head slowly around the room. She appreciated the mostly neutral colored furniture. It wasn't a strain on the eyes and matched well. There was a splash of different shades of blue along the curtains and pillows on the couch.
"This area used to be pretty much a rainbow. After the devil moved out, I changed it all. Even got rid of the pink walls you spoke of," Silver explain, leaning against the island.
"Did you decorate it yourself?"
He shrugged, "Mostly. I like interior design, but I did have a few of my friends from the building help out."
Amy glanced over at the kitchen. It was smaller than what she was used to in her last home. Rather than any traditional dining table, rotating stools lined the counter Silver sat at. On the other side was a small space with just enough room for the fridge, sink and oven. It was just enough to get whatever job in the kitchen done.
Silver then showed her the location of the bathroom and his own bedroom. "Your's would be right across the hall," he explained, opening the door to reveal a bare room. There was a full sized bed pushed into the corner, with a large pair of windows right next to it. "You get the fire escape right outside your room, so if there's ever an emergency, you'll be the first out so don't lock me in," he tried to joke.
Amy nodded her head, letting the corner of her mouth twitch. She leaned towards the window, observing the view of the city. She was leveled with the roofs of the surrounding buildings that blocked her view from seeing far into downtown. She thought that it could be a better sight, but wasn't too bothered by it.
Before she could turn away, a hand sprung up, hitting the window right in front of her face. Amy let out a yelp, leaping back and knocking into Silver in the process.
Before them stood an angry hedgehog. Her fur was a bright red and shiny, similar to a fire truck. Her long quills were frayed and curled in different directions. Amy would have guessed that she hadn't ran her fingers through them in days.
"Shit," Silver cursed, stepping forward to put an arm in front of Amy.
"Who is that?" she asked, now more confused than scared.
"Remember that devil ex-roommate I mentioned?"
"Don't ignore me, Silver!" she cried through the window. Her eyes, an icy blue, peered at Amy. "Are you trying to replace me?" she gasped and half shrieked offendedly.
"April, you were kicked out three months ago!"
She then looked over the room, gasping once again, "Did you throw out all my stuff? And you changed the color? Are you trying to hurt me?"
Silver groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "How many times are we going to have this conversation?"
Amy's phone suddenly went off, interrupting the tension. She reached into her bag, checking the caller ID. She contemplated for a second not answering, but she knew that was worse than picking up the call. "Sorry, I have to take this," Amy excused herself from the room.
As she left, she heard Silver threaten, "I'll call back up again. You know how this goes."
Amy continued walking out of the apartment as she answered. "What do you want?" she was less than enthused.
"When are you coming home?"
She winced at how loud the voice came through the speaker. Amy leaned against the wall right outside the door. She glanced up and down the long hallway, seeing no one else before she went on to speak.
"I told you a hundred times that I'm never coming back. I'm eighteen, I can make my own decisions now without you using me."
"How can you just up and leave your family! You owe us you ungrateful little brat!"
"'Owe you?'" Amy let out a humorless snort. "What about all the dinners you owe me? Or clothes? Or showers with warm water?"
"You're alive today. I didn't have to take you in but I did out of the kindness of my own heart. You could've been in a worse home or out on the streets but you weren't. I took care of you. I raised you."
"You're kidding, right?" Amy wondered in disbelief. "You didn't raise me and you aren't my family. I raised myself and all those other poor kids that are stuck with you. You're just angry that you can't use me as a punching bag to dump all your crap on."
"You'll regret that once you realize you need me more than you want to admit. Don't forget, I still have your savings."
"Exactly, it's mine. Not like you haven't already used half of it anyways." By this point, Amy was shaking with anger. Her cheeks were red as her face heated up.
"If you want it, you know what you'll have to do."
"I'm not coming back," Amy held her ground.
"Whatever. Have fun rotting on the streets alone. I don't even want you if you're going to be this way."
There was a click as the line went dead.
Amy let her arm hang limply at her side. Hot tears swelled in her eyes before rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't sad. She was frustrated. She hated having to deal with her old life that she was trying hard to detach herself from.
Amy grabbed her purse, muffling her screams into it. She slid down the wall, resting her forehead on her knees. Once she started, Amy couldn't bring herself to stop crying. She couldn't tell what emotions she was exactly feeling at this point.
At first Amy was angry with her foster mother. Then she felt guilty for leaving her siblings behind. She thought about how she had to care for them, but she also dreamed of the day she could just worry about herself. Being an adult and on her own was lonely. She currently resided in what was basically a scary closet by herself. Amy figured that the only apartment in her price range that supplied decent living wouldn't work out with Silver and his crazy ex-roommate. She would be stuck living in her current residence.
"Are you okay?"
Amy snapped her head up at the voice. She was embarrassed that someone had caught her sobbing to herself. Round, green eyes stared her down, full of confusion. She noted his bright, royal blue fur, an uncommon color for hedgehogs. She found it to be particularly appealing on the eyes.
Before Amy could respond, Silver stuck his head into the hallway. His eyes brightened when they landed on the new presence, "Sonic! Thank Chaos you're here. She's in the other bedroom." He suddenly dropped his demeanor when he noticed Amy on the ground, "Are you okay?"
"Uh- I'll handle April," Sonic gave an awkward smile as he made his way into the apartment.
Amy picked herself off the ground, not seeing the hand Silver offered. "I better get going," she adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you," she held her hand out.
Silver stared at her hand as if he had never seen such an object before. "You aren't really gonna leave now, are you?" He met Amy's glossy eyes, noticing her red stained cheeks. It was obvious that she had been crying only a moment ago. "Who was that on the phone? Work? Annoying family?"
"I should just leave," Amy ignored his second question. "We haven't really gotten along well and your ex roommate might try to kill me in my sleep." She turned to walk away, hanging her head in shame.
"Hold up!" Silver quickly made his way to stand directly in front of her. "I know I don't know you and we just met, but there's something you should know about me: I'm kind of dumb."
"Okay?" Amy drew out, not understanding what he was trying to get at.
"I usually can't take a hint or fully read situations," he continued, "that's one of the reasons April hates me now. But I can tell that you're upset. It doesn't take a genius to notice."
Amy just stared at him, unsure of what to say. He was right. He can't take a hint.
"If you would like to get anything off your chest, now would be the time," Silver prompted.
She let out a long sigh. Amy dropped her bag to the ground as she leaned her back against the wall. Silver followed her in the same manner, patiently waiting for her to speak.
"It wasn't work, or family," she chewed on the inside of her cheek, trying to get rid of her nerves. "I don't have a real family. That was my foster parent. I know that there are a lot of good foster families out there, but I got stuck with the bottom of the barrel. I was so excited to get away the second I became an adult. All that I've learned since moving out is that I'm alone."
"Wow," Silver mumbled after a moment. He awkwardly cleared his throat, almost choking and coughing on air. "Ya know, I never knew my birth parents. Neither did most of my friends in the building. You should really consider moving in. We'd be happy to add you to the family."
"I don't think-"
"Then don't," Silver cut her off. "I know it was all weird between us with you being sexist and all-" Amy rolled her eyes- "but we got over that fast and you still checked out the rooms. Plus, once the restrainer order goes through we won't have to worry about April again."
"Okay," the two turned as Sonic approached them, dusting off his hands. "She's gone now."
"What did you do?" Amy asked with worry. By the looks of it, he was acting as if he had just gotten his hands dirty.
"Just had a conversation with her," he shrugged nonchalantly. "April has always hated me. No idea why."
"Maybe because you always threw your clothes in with her laundry the second she walked away," Silver snorted.
Sonic defensively raised his hands, "I was conserving both money and the environment."
"Mooched off of her groceries."
"She didn't label anything so how was I supposed to know?"
"How about that time you caught her hair on fire?"
"Okay, I get it," Sonic groaned. "I should go see what Tails is up to." He spun on his heel and began walking backwards down the hallway. "Good luck with the roommate hunt!"
Even though he was speaking to Silver, his eyes remained on Amy's. Her breath hitched slightly as he winked and disappeared into the stairwell.
When Amy turned back to Silver, a wide smirk was plastered across his face. "The building does come with a few perks," he teased.
She narrowed her eyes, but decided to drop the topic. "Want to finish giving me that grand tour?"
Silver's smile transformed into one of genuine happiness. "Really?" he hopefully wondered.
Amy nodded her head with a hum.
"Well, if you follow me," Silver opened up the front door, "I can show you the closet where grandma-with-a-knife locked herself in."
Amy never thought she would hear that sentence in her entire life, but she didn't hate it. In fact, she was wonderfully surprised.